CASTRO CALLED REAL PRESIDENT OF NICARAGUA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00552R000404640008-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 14, 2010
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: November 29, 1982
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/14: CIA-RDP90-00552R000404640008-7
ARTICLE APPEARED
ON PAGE
WASEINGTON TIMES
29 NOVEMBER 1982
Castro called real president
of Nicaragua
UN1nRVrW
From the beginning, thousands of
Cubans arrived and began to take key
-positions all over the country. And
The commander of Nicaragua's
National Liberation Army, Pedro
Ortega, also known as "Juan
Carlos," on fighting Castro in
Nicaragua.
not just Cubans. There had been mas-
sive aid from international terrorist
-organizations like the Montoneros and
STAT
then goes back to Cuba. Sometimes he
comes two or three times in the same
week.
There is something else about Puerto
Cabezas. They have taken all the
Miskito Indians who lived there -
the Chilean MIR and from Libya, and about 10,000 or 15.000 - and sent
these people began to occupy positions them to the mountains in order to
in the government. The Nicaraguans leave a free zone for a big military
were relegated to a back seat. base operated totally by Cubans.
al Libera- Nicaraguans are not permitted there.
t h
th
tio
Q
Wh
N
a
as
e
a
n
:
One of the groups of Nicaraguan . lion Army done against the Sandinistas? It is a restricted zone, where
exiles fighting a guerrilla war against A: We have been inside Nicaragua internationalists are trained, who are
Nicaragua's Sandinista government fighting, and continue now with much sent to Honduras and El Salvador.
is led by a former businessman, Pedro more strength, in the northern zone, Q: They are training guerrillas?
Ortega, who uses the nom de guerre, A: Thee have trained thousands of
on the Atlantic coast, in countless
"Juan Carlos." Born in Spain, he came places and villages. The campesinos Salvadorans. Airplanes leave constantly
to Nicaragua as a child and owned a have given us their total support, even for the mountains of El Salvador,
ere men and wai equipment are
match factory in Managua when the serving as guides in the mountains. where--m--e-n-
Sandinistas took power in 1979. We have hundreds fighting in Nicaragua dropped. This is the way the Salvadoran
"Juan Carlos" now commands the ' and have executed huge operations, guerrillas have been able to maintain
lvational Liberation Army (LLN)? The not just along the border, but in the
official Sandinista newspaper calls interior
to weaken the Sandino-
,
him "the Chief of the Jackals." communist economy. We believe that
When "Juan Carlos" visited Washing- more than 800 Sandinista soldiers
ton last week, Latin American expert have died in these operations.
Roger Reed interviewed him in Spanish
for The Washington Times and trans- Q Is your command post in
Honduras?
fated the following excerpts:
A: I move all around and have no
Q: What is the National Liberation
Army?
A: The National Liberation Army
was formed in mid-August 1979, at
first as a humanitarian organization
to aid the thousands of Nicaraguans
who had to flee their country when
the Sandino-communist forces took
fixed position. The people of the
National Liberation Army who are
fighting are inside Nicaragua.
Q: How many men are in the
In Nicaragua they also train and
supply the Honduran terrorist group,
the Chinchoneros. All their war mate-
rial comes from Nicaragua. In the
northern zone, near Esteli, there is.a
base where hundreds of Hondurans
were trained to destabilize the
Honduran elections. They failed,
because the Honduran military knew
about this. But they were able to get
lots of men and arms into Honduras.
There is something else. The
accordin to our Sandinistas and the Russians have
have
A: The
y
, U.
intelligence service and to ex-Sandinista already arranged to cut a canal.
sympathizers, about 25,000 in the Russia intends, through Cuba, to begin
regular force and a reserve of about as soon as possible to build a canal
R'
J
don composed of thousands of Nicara- 100,000. The Sandinista Front has
guans, in the majority ex-members of begun a tremendous arms race. They
the National Guard, inside and out- have turned Nicaragua into.one of
side the country. We have the signa- the best-armed republics in the
000 men who support Caribbean, after Cuba.
tures of about 7
,
us. Our goals are to give real freedom Q: It is said that Puerto Cabezas is
being converted into a military
to the suffering people of Nicaragua
,
to help eradicate communism in all of Zone_..-.
Central America, and to establish a
real pluralistic, democratic government.
Q: Why are you fighting the
Sandinistas?
A: When the Sandinistas took power,
they said they were going to establish
a government that represented the
people, that they would soon hold
elections. But in a few months, the
people realized that what had come to
Nicaragua was not a democracy, but
uan rver, crossing
from the San
Lake Nicaragua, and cutting through
the department of Rivas at its most
narrow part. This way, the canal
would go to the Pacific Ocean. It would
be an inter-oceanic canal. We know
this is already arranged. If they haven't
already begun to dig the canal, they
could begin next month.
have three important air bases, where %Z` I VU
ed ho armed a
hundred thousand armed men. How do
ki
d
n
ny
of aircraft, such as the
MiG-21, can land. These bases are at'
Puerto Cabezas, Bluefields, and
Montelimar.
Montelimar is the airfield that
Fidel Castro uses privately. Castro is
in Montelimar every eight to ten
days. He goes to advise and to tell the
Sandinista commanders what they
have to do. He arrives, is there one
you expect to defeat them? Is that
your goal?
A: Correct. The people of Nicaragua
were tricked and are suffering. They
are ready to confront any military
a '011,."U Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/07/14: CIA-RDP90-00552R000404640008-7